Timer



Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM M. CUMMISKEY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TIMEB.

Application filed September 24, 1919.

T0 all 'who'm it 'may concem:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM I'fl. GUM- MrsiEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newark, Essex County, State of New Jersey` have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Timers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompan ing drawings, forming a part thereof.

y present invention relates to a timer for internal combustion engines.

The objects of the invention are to provide'a timer of simple pi'actical construction in which friction and wearing .of the parts will be reduced to a minimum and in which 'the circuit connections will be ac curately Controlled without burningr or pit tin' Vof thev contacts or terminalsf heseobjects I have laccoinplished in part by the provision of a timer arm in the form of an annular ball bearing having the inner race 'ring thereof eccentrically engaged on the'-v timer shaft and the outer race ring thereof Iarranged to actiiate or control the circuit connections. I'

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be'described more fully as the specificationf proceeds. 4

'Inf the' drawings accompanyin the specification, Fi re*1 is an end or p an view of a timer'em odying my invention', said view Abein '3' taken' substantially on the plane of ther me 1-1 of Figure 2, and thus showing the cap or hpusing and'certain other parts of the timer in section.

Figure 2 is a centrally sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view of a modification.

5 designates the timer shaft and 6 the cap or cover of the timer housing, said cover being usually constructed of insulating material and shown as mounted on the metallic base plate 7 which, insulated for the purpose of spark adjustment is rotatably supported at 8 and is suitably shifted by means of the connection 9.

The timer illustrated is intended for a 4- cylinder engine and is therefore provided with four contacts or terminals denoted by 1, 3, 4 and 2, with which cooperate relatively movable rounded contacts 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively. These movablecontacts are carried by spring arms arranged in pairs. Thus the support for the contacts 10 and 13 Serial No. 326,011.

consists of a V-shaped spring 14 supported at its apex and carrying the contacts 1.0 and 13 on the outward or free ends of the divergent spring arms thereof and the support for the contacts 11 and 12 consists of a similiar V-shaped spring 15 carrying the contents 11 and 12 at the free ends thereof. These Springs are shown as fastened at the bend thereof to metallic bushings 16 piv otally engaged on the metallic supporting posts on the plate 7 which is grounded to the en ine frame 17.

he contact actuating arin comprises in the present disclosure a ball bearing of the annular type embodying an inner race ring 18 fixed eccentrically on the timer shaft, and an outer race ring 19 with the roller elements or balls 20 interposed therebetween. The outer race ring engages in between the arms of the V-shaped Springs and-the inner race ring is eccentrically mounted ion the shaft in the illustration by means of an"ec centric insulating bushin .21, to which .the inner race is keyed as in 'icated at 22, and which is fastened to the shaft as by means of a set serew 23. i

It will be evident that in the eccentric rotation of the inner race ring, the outer ring vwill be forced outwardly and will in turn force the movable contacts sequentially into engagement with the terminals provided therefor, thus establishing the various. cir-` cuits in the proper 'order and'practically without any-wear or friction on anyof the parts. fiexing of the spring arms, the niovable contacts will have a certain wiping movement over the relatively stationary contacts. This tends to keep the contact faces bright and clean at all times and to prevent pitting and carbonizing. The device it will be seen is relatively simple and inexpensive and may be so designed as to fit on standard cars in use at the present time.

The form of the invention disclosed in Figure 3 is adapted to be used as a substitute for the rotating distributer arms now widely used in ignition systems of the socalled battery distributer types, the same diflering from the form first disclosed, principally in that there is no actual engagement of the contacts, the current being obliged to jump a short gap across the terminals as they are brought into register. These outer distributer terminals are designated 1, 2, 3 and 4, as before, but in this case, the

It 'will be noted also cthat inpthef inner roopernting terminale' are in the form nl' points or protubernnces l0^,"l1^, 12^ 13'*j carried by the outer race ring and the enter race ring is held against rotation, ns by means of the lexible finger 25. The op erzttion will be ohvious, it being apparent that ns the eccentric inner ring is rotnted the onter ring will be oscillatedso as to bring the points carried thereby seqnentially into current trzi-nsmitting reli'tion to the 2.-'In'a tim'er, a'cornbinati'oniof a timer'v shaft,' contacts disposed about said shaft, diverging spring pressed contact arms pro; vided Vwith contacts'for engagernent With the first'mentioned contacts,1 and an zinnularJball-'bearingz hay'in'g'aninner Arace ring (',ccentr'inlly mountedionithe'timer Shaft but insnlated 'therefronf' and hving en oter' race ring :u'ranged to engaget lall times With the contact `arms "foresaid.

3:111 a'time'r, the combinatio'nLoif 'a'tirn'er shaft' andW contactsfhdispbsed -abo'ut'f the samei, 'a'n i insnlating =bushin`g veccentr'icallymolinted'upon theftimersh'ft; an 'annular bal1 bearing having'- 'fth'e =inner1 race' ring theeo' engeged' on's'aicl insulating fbushingi and' diVerging coriteetff azl'ms: engeged with theiouter race ring 'ofthe -bea'r'ng and providcd with contucts for engagement with the coiitzicts' aforesaid. i

4. In combination with :i timer shaft and spaiced terininztlsdisposed nt opposite sides of the snrneA` :i snbstantihlly Vshaped spring supported :it the zipex the-reof and having its arms extending to points opposite the terminals and an annulnr ball benring having the inner rece ring thereof eccentrically engnged on the timex' shzift and the outer race ring thereof"inte'rpo'sed between th'e urms of the V-shziped spring. i

In :i timer, :i timerflshztft, terminnls'disposed at opposite sides of the same, a post inonnted intermediate said terminals, :i bnshing engziged on said post,'u substuntizilly V shz1ped spring'hztving the apex portion lhereof secured to said bushing end the arms thei'eof extended into position opposite the termin-(11s, und nn annular ball bearingliaving the inner race ring thereo eccel'itrieally engaged on the timer'shaft 'and-the oute'r 'race ring thereof interposed between the zn'ins of the `V-shaiped spring.

G. In combination, a timer-shat, an jannulur hall hearing havingthe innerrace ring thereof ecee'ntrically engaged-on' said.

shaft, substan'tially V-shap'ed Springs-SBP'- ported ati their apexes-'and having divergent urinsthereof engaging the 'outerlncevrjng of the bearing'a'r'irl` reletively` stationgiry terini'nzils disposed substantiallyfioppositej the outer i free ends of the substantially shaped Springs.

;7; In combination, atimer shaftan inner bearing ring eccentric'allymonnt'ed oxrgsaidv tuner shaft, :m outer bearing ringsurrotind ingsolid inner; beering ring,-- e.nda', pluality of pair'sof c-lrcult controlling arms engag hand -this 23rdfday-ofSe teinher 1919.-

VILLIAM MJEUMMISKEY: 

